Overview
- The State Department named Nicolás Maduro and senior officials as leaders of the group, alleging they corrupted Venezuela’s military, intelligence, legislature and judiciary.
- Caracas issued a formal rejection, branding the designation a “ridiculous hoax” and insisting the cartel does not exist, with officials denouncing it as a pretext for aggression.
- Commercial links were disrupted as multiple airlines, including Air Europa and Iberia, suspended routes after a U.S. aviation advisory about increased military activity near Venezuela.
- The move lands against a large U.S. deployment in the Caribbean that includes the USS Gerald R. Ford, with U.S. forces reporting roughly 20 vessels sunk and about 80 deaths in recent counter-narcotics operations.
- Regional reactions remain split, and Axios reported President Donald Trump plans a phone call with Maduro that is still in early planning without a set date.